The V5 is a compact organ module which
can be played from any MIDI keyboard or sequencer. It can be velcroed onto
a keyboard controller allowing for an ergonomic placement of controls.
The V5 supports up to two (2) – 61 note MIDI keyboards and 25 note MIDI
pedalboards. The V5 uses an organ generator architecture and is fully polyphonic
for both manuals and pedals simultaneously.

Unpacking the
V5

Inside the V5 carton you will find
the following:

1. V5 unit

2. 12 volt AC adapter

3. user's manual

4. VelcroÔ
strips

5. Envelope containing 4 control knobs

6. warranty card

Please return the warranty card soon
after your purchase. This card will allow Tonewheel LLC to keep you informed
of updates and new products.

VelcroÔ
is a registered trade mark of Velcro USA Inc.

Rear Panel

The V5 rear-panel contains mostly connectors.
Refer to the diagram on page 2. The labels for the rear-panel connectors
and switches are on the top face plate. You'll find the following on the
rear-panel:

TUNING – small knob which allows the V5
to be tuned +/- ½ step. The center detent is A440.

MULTITIMBRAL ON/OFF switch – allows 3
MIDI channels to be recognize simultaneously. This is useful for a multi-manual
keyboard setup.

MIDI MERGE/THRU switch – which allows
the MIDI OUT jack to be used as MIDI THRU or as a MIDI output which contains
both keyboard MIDI information as well as MIDI messages generated by the
V5 such as drawbar changes.

MIDI OUT - 5-pin DIN MIDI output. The
MIDI output is used as a MIDI Thru or a merged output. See 6.

MIDI IN - 5-pin DIN MIDI input. The MIDI
input is used to connect the V5 to an external MIDI source such as a keyboard.

MIDI CH - 16-position rotary switch. Selects
basic MIDI channel.

Front Panel

The V5 contains controls on its top
and front panels which will be very familiar to the tonewheel organist.
We’ll examine these controls one group at a time. The first set are the
four (4) knobs located on top.

The first of these is VOLUME. This
knob does not send MIDI volume: It just sets the output level of the V5.
The next knob of interest is the OVERDRIVE knob. It is used to create a
distortion effect popular in rock music. This knob also sends a MIDI control
message. The overdrive function is also MIDI controllable.

The third knob is KEYCLICK level. Key
click is the extra noise which occurs on the attack of a note played on
a tone wheel organ. It’s adjustable on the V5. This knob also sends a MIDI
control message and key click level is MIDI controllable function.

The last knob on the V5’s top panel
is LEAKAGE. The sound of leakage is like many notes sounding at once at
a much softer volume behind the desired tone. This is caused by the close
proximity of many wires which carry the organ tones in a tone wheel organ
and is sometimes desirable for ballads. The LEAKAGE knob also sends a MIDI
control message and leakage level is MIDI controllable function.

There are four (4) percussion buttons
located on the V5. They are PERCUSSION ON/OFF, PERCUSSION NORM/SOFT, PERCUSSION
SLOW/FAST, and PERCUSSION 2nd/3rd. Percussion in
a tone wheel organ is tone generated on the attack of notes played on the
upper keyboard only. The original intent of this function was to allow
a tone wheel organ to produce xylophone type tones.

All of the percussion buttons both
transmit MIDI control changes and respond to MIDI control changes. The
first button, PERCUSSION ON/OFF, is self explanatory. The second
button, PERCUSSION NORM/SOFT, selects from two (2) different initial volumes
for the Percussion effect. The PERCUSSION SLOW/FAST button selects from
two (2) different rates of decay. The last button, PERCUSSION 2nd/3rd,
selects the harmonic to be used for the percussion tone. "2nd"
corresponds to the 4’ drawbar tone while "3rd" corresponds to
the 2-2/3’ drawbar.

Another feature of tone wheel organs
is Vibrato/Chorus. Note the two are mutual exclusive… basically chorus
is the vibrato effect and the original sound mixed together. There are
two (2) buttons for Vibrato/Chorus selection both transmit MIDI control
changes and respond to MIDI control changes. The first is VIBRATO/CHORUS
ON/OFF. This enables the effect. The second, VIBRATO/CHORUS SEL, selects
the depth of the effect and whether it is chorus or vibrato. Pressing this
button advances the indicators which display level (V1, V2, or V3) and
whether chorus is selected.

Last but not least are the drawbars
themselves. If you are not familiar with their function please read the
section "What Are Drawbars?". The V5 has nine (9) drawbars which constitute
a set for the tone wheel organ. The drawbars transmit MIDI control changes
when they are moved. The V5 also responds to these control changes. The
V5 actually will respond to an additional set of drawbars which may be
sent via MIDI control changes. These allow a player to morph (change gradually)
back and forth between the drawbars (or preset setting) on the V5 and an
external set of virtual drawbars. This is accomplished by moving the Modulation
Wheel on the MIDI controller. Upon power-up the V5 defaults to its second
set of drawbars being pulled all the way out (full). This is the case until
other MIDI control changes are received for the secondary (auxiliary) drawbars.
See the MIDI and System Exclusive section for more on this.

What Are Drawbars?

This section will describe the use
of drawbars. The V5 has a set of nine (9) drawbars.

Tone-wheel organs use drawbars in a
way which is analogous to the faders of a graphic equalizer. While a graphic
equalizer modifies the timbre of a sound, drawbar synthesis creates timbres.
This is actually a form of additive synthesis. Harmonic levels are increased
by pulling drawbars out and decreased by pushing them in. As with a graphic
equalizer, drawbars are also arranged with ascending frequencies from left
to right. The 2nd drawbar from the left is an exception to this arrangement
rule (see the Historical Organ Information section).

For example, if the leftmost drawbar
is the only drawbar pulled out, the sound produced will be a low-frequency
sine wave. A sine wave has no harmonic overtones. This makes sense; there
is no other drawbar pulled out.

Historical
Organ Information

Organ registration conventions have
developed over many centuries. Referring to the drawbar diagram on page
2, you will notice pipe footages associated with the drawbars. This notation
is a throw-back to the days of pipe organs.

Pipe organs produce sound by introducing
noise (turbulent air) into tuned resonators (pipes). An organ flute pipe
sounds like a flute and is the most pure sounding (free of harmonics) type
of organ pipe. This is the type of sound produced by playing a note on
a tone-wheel organ with a single drawbar pulled out.

A flute pipe's frequency is roughly
dependent on its length. The longer the pipe, the lower its frequency.
Notice that the footages decrease for drawbars going from left to right.
This agrees with the graphic equalizer analogy: The frequencies get higher
going from left to right. If the pipe footages for the drawbars are divided
into the first drawbar footage (16'), the relationship between the drawbar's
harmonic frequencies can be seen. This relationship is shown in the diagram
on page 2 below the footages.

Notice that the white drawbars have
harmonic frequency relationships which are powers of two (2, 4, 8, and
16). This type of harmonic relationship is one in which the tones are related
by octaves. The octave relationship is considered to be a "pure" relationship
and that is why the white color is used to denote these drawbars. Drawbar
harmonics which are not an octave apart from the white drawbars are indicated
by their black-colored handles.

Many people wonder why the first drawbar
(16') is not white and why the second drawbar appears to violate the low
to high harmonic arrangement. Traditionally the 8' stop (drawbar) is thought
of as the fundamental tone, therefore all harmonic frequencies below the
fundamental tone or less than an octave above the fundamental are known
as sub-harmonics. These subharmonic drawbars are designated by a brown-colored
handle.

There are some aspects of the sound
of the tonewheel organ which some people may consider to be defects. One
of these is key click. Key click is the noisy sound produced on the attack
of the organ notes. Key click was the inadvertent byproduct of the electrical
noise caused by the mechanical switch contacts of a key. Engineers tried
for many years to eliminate this "problem" only to find that many people
liked the sound. The V5 is capable of producing this sound by adjusting
the knob provided for this function.

Another so called defect is generator
leakage. This is caused by the close proximity of many wires which carry
the organ tones. The sound of leakage is like many notes sounding at once
at a much softer volume behind the desired tone.

Distortion, once thought to be undesirable
in the sound of an organ is quite useful for producing rich overtones.
Originally it was produced by overdriving the tube amplifier used to amplify
the organ’s sound. Distortion is controlled on the V5 by the knob labeled
"Overdrive".

Setting The
MIDI Channel

The V5 may be
operated in three (3) different MIDI modes: The first is Omni On – the
V5 responds to all 16 MIDI channels. To use this mode set the MIDI selector
knob on the rear panel to "0" position.

The second mode of MIDI operation is
the normal single channel mode in which the V5 responds to only one (1)
MIDI channel. The MIDI channel for this mode is set using the MIDI selector
knob on the rear panel. MIDI channels 1 – 15 may be set this way by turning
the rear panel MIDI selector knob to the desired channel number making
sure the Multitimbral switch is set to the off position. Please note that
you cannot access channel 16 in this mode.

The third mode of MIDI operation for
the V5 is multitimbral mode. The V5 will respond to three (3) consecutive
MIDI channels in this mode allowing three (3) manual organ operation. The
upper organ manual will be the first of the three (3) consecutive channels.
The lower organ manual will be the middle channel of the three (3) consecutive
channels: and the pedal channel will be the last of the three (3) consecutive
channels. To use this mode set the Multitimbral switch to the on position
and set the MIDI selector switch to the first channel of operation. Do
not set the MIDI selector switch to the "0" position since Omni Mode supercedes
multitimbral mode.

For example:

If the V5’s channel selector is set
to 15 and the multitimbral mode switch is on, the V5 will respond to channel
15 as the upper manual, 16 for the lower manual, and channel 1 for the
pedals.

Using Presets
and Live Mode

The V5 can save all of its settings
to a preset. There are seven (7) normal presets on the V5 and one special
non-preset or Live Mode which can be selected from the preset buttons.
Presets 1 – 4 are accessed by pressing buttons 1 – 4. Presets 5 – 7 are
accessed by combinations of the preset buttons. When preset buttons 1 and
2 are pressed simultaneously, preset 5 is accessed. When preset buttons
2 and 3 are pressed simultaneously, preset 6 is accessed. When preset buttons
3 and 4 are pressed simultaneously, preset 7 is accessed.

To jump to the live mode settings which
are the current settings of all the knobs and drawbars, press the preset
button(s) which are currently illuminated. All buttons’ indicators will
be extinguished indicating you are in Live Mode.

Saving Presets

It’s very easy to save presets on the
V5. Once a desired drawbar setting has been obtained along with other settings
like Overdrive level, Percussion On/Off… merely hold down the desire preset
number button(s) until all the preset indicators light indicating the preset
has been saved. This procedure is similar to saving channels on some car
radios. Note that there are seven (7) presets available on the V5 using
four (4) buttons. Presets 1 – 4 are accessed by pressing buttons 1 – 4.
Presets 5 – 7 are accessed by combinations of the preset buttons. When
preset buttons 1 and 2 are pressed simultaneously, preset 5 is accessed.
When preset buttons 2 and 3 are pressed simultaneously, preset 6 is accessed.
When preset buttons 3 and 4 are pressed simultaneously, preset 7 is accessed.
The state of all the controls of the V5 is saved to its presets including
Split mode information.

Setting Splits
On The V5

The V5 allows the player to set one
(1) split for single manual operation. To turn on the split merely press
the SPLIT button. The button will light indicating that split mode is active
and the V5 will play the normal drawbar setting for the right hand side
of the keyboard and a different setting below the split point.

Both the split point and left-hand
preset are programmable. To change the split point and left-hand preset,
hold the SPLIT button down until its indicator starts flashing. You are
now in split program mode. Any note you press on the MIDI controller while
in this mode will be interpreted as the new split point. Any preset button(s)
which are pressed while in program mode are interpreted as the new left-hand
preset sound. It is advisable to prepare a left-hand preset prior to entering
this mode. To do so, pick another preset to overwrite. It must be different
than the one using the split. Save a new drawbar configuration by
holding down the selected preset button(s) until all the preset buttons
light to indicate the settings have been saved.

All of the split information as well
as the drawbar, knob, and button setting are saved when a preset is saved.
See the section on "Saving Presets" for more information.

Using the V5 With
A Sequencer

The V5 has a convenient feature to
allow the recording of a performance using a MIDI sequencer. The V5 will
merge all MIDI control changes which it creates by setting the MIDI Out
switch to the MERGE position. In this mode, the MIDI output will contain
all of the keyboard’s MIDI information sent to the V5 as well as any changes
to the V5’s drawbars, knobs or buttons. This includes both MIDI control
and program changes generated by the MIDI keyboard and the V5.

To play back a MIDI sequence, connect
the MIDI out of the sequencer directly to the V5. Any V5 button, drawbar,
or knob changes as well as keyboard information which was recorded by the
sequencer will be recognized by the V5 upon playback.

Hidden V5 Functions

There are no dedicated buttons for
two (2) "hidden" functions which the V5 can perform. These are infrequently
used functions which are probably not done in a performance setting. The
first will reset the V5 to its factory settings. To do this: power off
the V5 unit, hold down the Percussion On/Off and 2nd/3rd
Harmonic buttons simultaneously while turning on the unit’s power. The
factory presets are now rewritten.

The second is to send a System Exclusive
MIDI dump of the V5’s preset memory. This is only necessary if the computer
/ sequencer requesting the data cannot send a request command. See the
MIDI and System Exclusive Info section about this. To perform the System
Exclusive dump: power off the V5 unit, hold down the Split button while
turning on the unit’s power. The V5 will immediately send the System Exclusive
dump.

MIDI and System
Exclusive Information

The V5 will respond up to three (3)
consecutive MIDI channels which can be thought of as two (2) organ manuals
and a bass pedal manual. See the chapter on "Setting The MIDI Channel".
Both the upper and lower manuals respond to MIDI note on and note off commands
for notes C1 through and including C6 while the bass pedal manual responds
to notes C0 through and including C2.

The various buttons and knobs on the
top face of the V5 also send and respond to MIDI. Here is a table of all
the MIDI control numbers used by the V5:

Cont. #

Function

Sent

Recognized

1

Morph

No

Yes

7

Volume

No

Yes

12

Drawbar #1 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

13

Drawbar #2 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

14

Drawbar #3 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

15

Drawbar #4 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

16

Drawbar #5 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

17

Drawbar #6 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

18

Drawbar #7 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

19

Drawbar #8 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

20

Drawbar #9 (MAIN)

Yes

Yes

21

Drawbar #1 (AUX)

No

Yes

22

Drawbar #2 (AUX)

No

Yes

23

Drawbar #3 (AUX)

No

Yes

24

Drawbar #4 (AUX)

No

Yes

No

Drawbar #5 (AUX)

No

Yes

26

Drawbar #6 (AUX)

No

Yes

27

Drawbar #7 (AUX)

No

Yes

28

Drawbar #8 (AUX)

No

Yes

29

Drawbar #9 (AUX)

No

Yes

64

Sustain / Hold

No

Yes

70

Percussion Decay

Yes

Yes

71

Percussion Volume

Yes

Yes

72

Percussion Harmonic

Yes

Yes

73

Percussion On/Off

Yes

Yes

89

Key Click Volume

Yes

Yes

90

Leakage

Yes

Yes

91

Distortion

Yes

Yes

93

Vibrato/Chorus Depth *

Yes

Yes

95

Vibrato/Chorus On/Off

Yes

Yes

102

Save Function

Yes

Yes

* see the following table for Vibrato/Chorus
Depth information

MIDI DATA
VALUE

FUNCTION

18

Vibrato Mode,
level 1 (C / V 1 Lit, CHORUS Off)

36

Vibrato Mode,
level 2 (C / V 2 Lit, CHORUS Off)

58

Vibrato Mode,
level 3 (C / V 3 Lit, CHORUS Off)

79

Chorus Mode,
level 1 (C / V 1 and CHORUS On)

100

Chorus Mode,
level 2 (C / V 2 and CHORUS On)

122

Chorus Mode,
level 3 (C / V 3 and CHORUS On)

The V5 also responds to MIDI control
changes 0 through 127. These are mapped into the eight (8) (0 is the live
mode) presets present in the V5 in a circular mode. For instance: a MIDI
program change of 1 sets preset 1, a program change of 9 is preset 2, and
a MIDI program change of 0 sets the live mode (see Using Presets and Live
Mode section). The V5 will also send program changes 0 through 7. 0 denotes
live mode